The female breasts have very little internal support, being composed largely of adipose tissue or fat. It is believed that the primary anatomical support for the breast is provided by the Cooper's ligaments, with the skin covering the breasts offering some additional support. However, this anatomical support is usually insufficient to hold the breasts up (especially in older women), and to prevent movement of the breasts, which can cause pain and discomfort. Thus, the primary reason for wearing a brassiere or similar foundation garment is to provide external support for the breasts, increasing comfort and mobility. Brassieres are also believed by some to help preserve the youthful shape of breasts (which naturally sag as women grow older).
A brassiere consists of a pair cups for the breasts, a center panel, and a band running around the body under the bust. Unless a brassiere is a strapless brassiere, it will also include a shoulder strap at each side. A brassiere is typically made of a fabric such as cotton or lace, with the cups for the breasts given shape by underwires or plastic reinforcements. The brassiere is usually fastened with a hook fastener on the band, typically at the back, but in some embodiments the fastener is situated at the front, in between the cups.
One problem with brassieres is the pinching that occurs when the lower portion of a brassiere cup rolls underneath and pinches the skin of the lower part of the breast. This is particularly a problem for women with large breasts and/or women that are overweight or obese. The outer surface of a thin woman's breast is typically supple or taut. A woman with larger breasts and/or a woman that is overweight or obese will have larger amounts of subcutaneous fat in the breast area, thereby making the skin around the breasts much more inelastic and pliable. The breasts of these women often bulge or spill out of the bottom of the breast cup, thereby applying a force on the outer edges of the bottom portion of the breast cups, wherein the force is directed inwards. This phenomenon often results in the inward folding or rolling of the outer edges of the bottom portion of the breast cups, resulting in the pinching of the soft and sensitive skin of the breasts. This can be painful and highly annoying to the wearer of the brassiere.
Another problem experienced by women with large breasts and/or women that are overweight or obese is sweating due to the brassiere. Since these women possess higher levels of subcutaneous fat, which has a heat-insulating effect, and their physical conditions are usually reflective of sedentary lifestyles, which result in easy agitation due to physical exertion, these women often sweat easily. This is compounded by the wearing of a brassiere which provides more heat insulation and restricts movement. This can result in embarrassing sweat stains on the clothing or brassiere, as well as discomfort for the wearer.
Therefore, a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art as discussed above, and particularly for an improved brassiere that relieves discomfort for larger breasted women.